I was inspired by you guys...thanks

[woodbooga]

I do quite a bit of weightlifting too, but it is not the upper body workout you would think it would be. But, it is a fantastic cardio workout. After two or three hours of it, I am pretty drained.

Also, I firmly believe that hand splitting is much faster than splitting with a gas splitter. Get yourself and old tire so you can put your quarters in their and then you can split like five or six times without having to bend over and pick up.

C

Guy I know uses an old tractor tire for splitting with his monster maul. He claims he can split in excess of a cord per hour.

 

[thombat4]

Thanks for all the positive feedback fellas. Up until a couple days ago I was doing it the hard way by strapping one piece at a time onto my splitters' table and then cutting it down. That sure did get old quick!!

 

[thombat4]

I toss them in the woodstove. They make good firewood, oddly enough.

I keep 'em in a bin made of pallets, 2 pallets for the bottom, and some sides. Works for me.

BlueRidgeMark,

They do burn nicely in the stove!! I keep 'em in a pallet bin too...just need to figure a simpler way to secure it.

 

[thombat4]

I like that camo-strap. The last sets I bought are getting sun faded and the next step is they will break when needed most.

Where did you pick those up at ?

Got those at Home Depot, 2 straps for 20 bucks.

 

[thombat4]

Nice looking work there!.....Here's my setup for cutting the ones that are too long.....Not near as fancy but hey it works.....

Fastcast,

That looks pretty nifty to me. Plus it's a lot more mobile than what I'm using. Is that something you welded together? Curious to see what it looks like empty. I Like that firepit and grill setup! I have something kinda similar to that.

 

[thombat4]

It is that. Don't try to muscle your way through at first. Speed is power. Speed comes with repetition, and so does accuracy. Just work on being smooth and accurate. Speed and power will come.

Thanks for those tips...I'll definitely start out slow until i get the hang of it. Any particular size maul I should try? Or does it matter much?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks for those tips...I'll definitely start out slow until i get the hang of it. Any particular size maul I should try? Or does it matter much?

Well, if you're going to split wood by hand, you probably want at least two sizes. I like an 8 pound maul and my monster maul, which runs 15 pounds. Works for me. A big guy like you... I doubt you want to use a 6 pounder.

You'll want a few wedges and a sledge hammer, too.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Also, I firmly believe that hand splitting is much faster than splitting with a gas splitter.

Agreed, for the small stuff with straight grain. I can do much more by hand. Well, when I don't have a bad elbow that needs to heal!

With the big stuff (30" or more) and crotches, it's a different story. That's where the splitter shines.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

BlueRidgeMark,

They do burn nicely in the stove!! I keep 'em in a pallet bin too...just need to figure a simpler way to secure it.

I just built it with wire. Set two pallets on bricks, then wired pallets in place as walls. Works for me. I think I need to put a rain cover on it, though. The tarp fills up with rain.

 

[Zodiac45]

With us, we toss them in the firebox of our old Century Crawford cookstove. I've got to have the better part of a half cord of odds 'n' ends that will supplement the full-length supply. Some of the odd sized pieces are from my own cutting. A bunch more is from a local firewood dealer who lets me take 'em away. A win-win. I get the heat and he doesn;t need to have the disposal guy who charges by the load come by as often.

The ends are great for days when you only want a small fire - or for when we're cooking and need high heat for the duration of when we're baking or cooking on the stovetop.

+1 Yep great for spring/fall chilly nights and/or a chimnea or grilling pit. My BIL is a pipe welder and brought a piece of 26" gas pipe cutoff.(About an 18" piece) We lay that down, ground 4 thin slots around the top that the grilling surface grate fits into. Fill that baby with chunk wood, light her off and 30 min later your grilling with wood! Yummmmm!

 

[iowawoodcutter]

Thanks for those tips...I'll definitely start out slow until i get the hang of it. Any particular size maul I should try? Or does it matter much?

I use three, a two sided axe, an 8 pound maul and a monster maul. Axe gets used for the smaller pieces, easier to swing because it is so light. 8 pound maul used for the medium to large pieces. 15 lb Monster maul I only use for very large rounds to quarter, or crotch pieces that are stubborn. Chainsaw then get used to cut up any nasty pieces that just wont give.

If you don't have a splitter to fall back on (like me!) then you will get the hang of not wasting energy and swings and working efficient real quick. Oh yeah, and I NEVER use wedges to split. Had one pop out at me once and never used them again to split.

 

[Fastcast]

Fastcast,

That looks pretty nifty to me. Plus it's a lot more mobile than what I'm using. Is that something you welded together? Curious to see what it looks like empty. I Like that firepit and grill setup! I have something kinda similar to that.

Thombat, those are just some simple T-fence post, pounded into the ground with a post pounder, no welding. Got a bunch of 'em laying around so.....

Yea, nothing better than cooking a little meal on the firepit and a cold Peroni.....

 

[turnkey4099]

I'd kinda like to split with a maul but it's kinda hard to make myself do it when I've got that old gas powered splitter sitting there. I might try it when I retire so I can stay in shape.

It's a great way to get your exercise without paying fora club membership. I use my splitter only for crotches/knots or when the 'to be split' pile gets a bit out of hand.

Harry K

 

[woodguy105]

I wind up with a lot of those, and I do something REALLY radical with them:


I toss them in the woodstove. They make good firewood, oddly enough.

I keep 'em in a bin made of pallets, 2 pallets for the bottom, and some sides. Works for me.

Yep, I got into the habit of setting all the little chunks to the side. You'll end up with a nice pile for chilly spring and fall weather when you just need to fire up the stove(s) to take the chill out of the air.

I've also found that all of the strips and pieces of oak that end up on the ground make perfect kindling, burns hot and makes great coals. Nothing better than waking up to a cold house and having plenty of good kindling bring the fire back!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Y
I've also found that all of the strips and pieces of oak that end up on the ground make perfect kindling, burns hot and makes great coals. Nothing better than waking up to a cold house and having plenty of good kindling bring the fire back!

Yes indeed! I do the same. You're gonna laugh at how I store them, though. Since it's kindling, I want to make sure it's dry, and I had this doghouse left from the last owner...

Yep, I keep it in a plastic doghouse. I can just lift the top off to put more in, and grab what I need out of the doorway when it's time to fill the bucket next to the stove.

Works for me!

 

[rb_in_va]

thombat4,
That face shield on your helmet works a lot better to protect your face when its actually covering your face.

But other than that good job with the ppe!

 

[thombat4]

Well, if you're going to split wood by hand, you probably want at least two sizes. I like an 8 pound maul and my monster maul, which runs 15 pounds. Works for me. A big guy like you... I doubt you want to use a 6 pounder.

You'll want a few wedges and a sledge hammer, too.

Where in the world could I find a huge 15lb maul? The biggest I've seen around here is 8lbs.

 

[thombat4]

thombat4,
That face shield on your helmet works a lot better to protect your face when its actually covering your face.

I was wonderin' when that was comin'! I was so excited I completely forgot!! My wife told me you guys would notice that right off the bat! I'm usually a lot more careful...

 

[woodbooga]

QUOTE=thombat4;1124278]Where in the world could I find a huge 15lb maul? The biggest I've seen around here is 8lbs.[/QUOTE]

Found this on the net. Don't have one myself. Those that do swear by them. Many of the ones I've seen are home made.

 

[iowawoodcutter]

Mine looks exactly like the one woodbooga pictured. I have seen them at Tractor Supply though.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...10551_10001_51282_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1